Anchor
by KatBauer
Summary: "Someday, someday you will understand." [Part 2 of the All I've Ever Needed series]


**I.**

She finds him passed out on the couch in the middle of the day, with one arm draped over his eyes to block out the light and the other resting at the side of his body.

Skye arches her eyebrows in amusement and snickers quietly to herself as she makes her way to the kitchen, but stops when she hears a muffled, strained noise that is undoubtedly coming from him.

When she turns around to check on him, his hands are now curled into fists, his chest heaving while his brow furrows, giving his face a pained expression, and she wonders briefly just what kind of bad dream he could possibly be having that has him so worked up.

He makes another strangled noise then, and before she can stop herself, before she can even _think_ about what she's doing, she sits down next to him and reaches over, wrapping her fingers around his wrist and tugging.

He startles awake, eyes going wide when his mind clears the enough to recognize her, but she doesn't let go. Her thumb tenderly rubs the inside of his wrist, and she hears him inhale sharply when she traces the faint outlines of his scars.

He shudders, but slowly his fists begin to uncurl, and when they do, Skye slips her hand in his and softly squeezes it, a gentle, soothing reminder that she's there and that he's not alone.

**II.**

"I've already failed them once, I'm not going to make the same mistake again."

"You have nothing to prove anymore, Ward," Skye says. "You've more than owned up to everything you've done, and they know that."

"Skye," he pleads, growing desperate as his eyes flicker back and forth between her and the big screen, where the number of red dots currently blinking is increasing at an alarming rate, surrounding the three blue ones in the far right corner. "I have to go."

But she plants herself firmly in front of him, blocking the way, and places a hand on his chest, fingers splaying over his heart as she quietly murmurs "Ward, _please_," her eyes boring into his. "I need you _here_."

Tension seems to leave his body the second she touches him, and as he takes a deep breath, squeezing his eyes shut in an attempt to collect himself, he allows the warmth of her hand to seep into him, grounding him and anchoring him to this moment, here and now.

Skye waits, eyes never leaving his face and palm still pressed against his chest, feeling the wild beating of his heart beneath it begin to slow down. He covers her tiny hand with his, holding it in place, and when his eyes flutter open again, there is no need for any more words.

His eyes say all the things he has never known how to say.

_"Whatever you need."_

**III.**

She steals a glance at him over the seemingly never-ending mountains of papers currently sitting on the table, and she has to bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself from smiling.

She files papers away, fills in forms and mission reports, divides them in different piles according to date, and sighs with impatience. Desk duty has never been her thing.

"Damn it," she says suddenly, glaring at the offending piece of paper she's just involuntarily dropped on the floor.

He lifts his head from his own pile of paperwork and asks, "are you okay?" voice laced with concern.

"Paper cut," she says frustrated, waving him off, and then she freezes, going pale as the memories of one afternoon, months ago, suddenly flood her mind.

_"But you fold a piece of paper just right, it gets sharp."_

"Skye?"

When he gets no answer from her, he stands up abruptly, papers scattering to the floor as he hurries to her side.

"Hey," he says softly so as to not startle her. "Let me see that."

Still, he makes no attempt to touch her. He waits until Skye blinks up at him, tears welling up in her eyes, and only then he takes her hand in his, inspecting the tiny cut and frowning with confusion.

"Does it hurt? I can get you a band aid, if you want."

Carefully, he brings her hand up to his lips and very gently presses a kiss to her fingertip, confusion turning into surprise when she wraps her slightly trembling fingers around his.

"I'm so sorry," she blurts out, voice a broken whisper.

His eyes widen a fraction. "For what?"

"Because I didn't understand," she says. "I didn't _want_ to understand, and I said horrible things to you. Things I shouldn't have said."

He watches her in stunned silence, and it takes him a moment to put the pieces together. He looks at her hand, still holding his a little too tightly, and then to the tiny paper cut on the tip of her finger, and it all clicks when he remembers his own words.

He tugs on her hand, pulling her up to her feet, and when she doesn't meet his eyes, he places a finger under her chin and tilts her head up. The intensity of his gaze is such that Skye finds it impossible to tear her eyes away from his.

It's as if he could see right through her. All of the dark corners, all of the broken pieces. It burns her to the bone, pierces right through her soul and there's nowhere to hide.

But that's the thing. She _doesn't want_ to hide, not again, not anymore.

"I deserved it, every word."

"No," she shakes her head. "No, you didn't. No one deserves that."

"You were angry, and you had every right to be. _I hurt you_," he says, bowing his head. "I know apologizing won't make any of it go away, but I-"

"I forgave you a long time ago, Ward," she says softly, cutting him off. She makes a pause, swallowing hard and worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. "Do you think you could forgive me?"

He says nothing to that, but when he draws her to him, arms wrapping securely around her waist as she buries her face in his shoulder and clings to him as if he were an anchor, she knows he already has.

_"Someday, someday you will understand."_


End file.
